How quickly they forget
Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, is circulating a petition calling for Democrats to immediately seat Senator-elect Scott Brown. Massachusetts voters yesterday elected Brown to the U.S. Senate. His election breaks the Democrats filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. McCain, who was the GOP nominee for president in 2008, said in his petition that Brown should be seated immediately:
Last night, Scott Brown won a stunning electoral upset and will be the first Republican Senator from Massachusetts in decades. I congratulate him on his victory and thank each and every one of you who generously gave your time and energy to make this victory possible for Scott and conservatives across the country.
His victory sent a strong message that you and I have long known - Americans are furious with the liberal leadership in Washington. Their out of control spending and proposed takeover of health care are destructive to our country and we must continue to fight against it.
I look forward to welcoming Scott as a colleague when he comes to Washington to join our battle against runaway spending and government run health care. But, unfortunately, there is now talk of Democrats employing Washington D.C. political games to move their agenda forward regardless of the people's will.
The Democrats are determined to do whatever is necessary to move their big government plans forward. Today, we've put together a petition urging Democrats to seat Scott Brown immediately and I ask that you sign this petition right away.
What a difference a year makes. Last year, Republicans were urging patience when the State Canvassing Board declared Democrat Al Franken the winner over Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Arizona Sen. John Kyl (from McCain's home state) warned against seating Franken until the entire process was complete. Cornyn said seating Franken would lead to a filibuster.
For those wondering, Senate rules say a Senator can't be seated until a proper election certificate is presented. The Secretary of State in Massachusetts said that could take 10 days.
Update: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said they'll wait for Brown before they take action on the health care bill.
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